54 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ Jaly 21, 1863. 



ever they existed elsewhere than in the realms of poeti-y — 

 when " every rood of ground maintained its man ;" but. if 

 cottage gai'dens continue to multiply thi-oughout the land, 

 we shall soon reivch a state of tilings where every rood of 

 ground maintaining its pig will contribute greatly to the 

 maintenance of the pig's oivner and family. 



But if the distribution of small portions of land among the 

 labouring classes of agricultural districts proves a benefit to 

 the large land-owners and the farmers, it is especially bene- 

 ficial to one individual in eveiy parish, whose influence for 

 good over those among whom he is placed it is most 

 desirable to extend — I mean the incumbent or the minister 

 appointed as his substitute. The experience of the writer 

 of this ai-tlcle may perhaps be admitted as an illustration of 

 the fact. 



_ About eleven years ago it was his lot to be appointed to 

 the incumbency of a somewhat populous parish, situated in 

 one of the most agricultural districts of the midland coun- 

 ties. There are now, he most sincerely trusts, few parishes 

 in England in so neglected a state as that in which he 



foimd the village of . There was no trace of any 



previous incumbent having resided there; and, indeed, it 

 had no house for him to reside in. The land was almost 

 entirely in the hands of large absentee proprietors; Dissent 

 almost universally prevaUed; and the place was notorious 

 throughout the country for dissipation and deeds of violence. 



To be instrumentid in eftecting a change in the moral 

 aspect of the place was, of coiirse, the earnest wish .and 

 endeavom- of the writer; and though, even at the present 

 time, he is painfully conscious that much stUl remains to be 

 done, he thankfully acknowledges that a large amount of 

 good has been effected, and for this good he "is in a great 

 measure indebted to the allotment system. It will perhaps 

 conduce to clearness if, in detailing the means by which 

 that system was can-ied out, and the general mode of its 

 operations, he should now speak in the first person. 



The mr.st important thing to be done was naturally to 

 build a parsonage, and thus to secure, both for the present 

 time and the futiu-e, the residence of a clergyman in the 

 parish ; the second was to devise some plans for the gradual 

 improvement of the parisliioners. I have said that nearly 

 all the land was in the hands of proprietors who lived at a 

 distance from the source of then- income, and who contri- 

 buted in nothing to the welfare of their numerous tenantry. 

 Among these absentees had hitherto been the former incum- 

 bents, who, as the tithes were commuted for land, were, for 

 the period of then- incumbency, land-owners of some import- 

 ance. The probably pei-manent residence of this land-owner 

 was now at all events secured ; and it appeared to me that 

 the possession of land might be turned to good account for 

 the purpose of assisting in the amelioration of the position 

 of the working classes. Land, even to the extent of a rood, 

 or a quarter of an acre, was scarce among these, and in so 

 great demand, that as much as ^£1 yearlv rent was gladly 

 given for so small a quantity, the rates and other taxes 

 upon it being paid liy the tenant. A suggestion which, 

 shortly after entering the parish, I one day threw out to a 

 labourer— that if a field was divided into cottage gardens, it 

 might prove beneficial to himself and those in a similar 

 sitiiation— was soon repeated; and the news of the possi- 

 bility of sMch an occun-ence spread rapidly over the village, 

 affording for the time a subject for gossip of a less hui-tfiil 

 kmd than that which is too often the established means of 

 entertainment in small communities. Two or three days 

 after I received a petition signed by nearly all the labourers 

 aad working men of the place, which as it may prove a 

 curiosity to some of my readers, I KteraUy transcribe :— 



'1852. 



"To the Rev. . 



■ Vicker. 



" We the undersigned poor of this parish do Eai-nestly 

 Request your favour to allott a portion of Land to each of 

 us The undersigned which we shall esteem it a great favour 

 by so Doing at any Reasonable Rent you think will do us 

 any Good By so doing we shall remain yom- obedient Ser- 

 vants." 



[Here follow the signatures offoHy-nine laboureis a)ul aHi-sans.] 

 The day after a supplement to this petition was sent me, 



with some ten or twenty morejnames appended to it. 



However ungrammatical this composition might be, its 



brief and simple earnestness spoke eloquently to my feelings, 

 and a favourable reply could alone be given by one who was 

 a weU-wisher to the petitioners. There was a field, or close, 

 as it is locally denominated, containing somewhat more than 

 twelve acres of excellent land, conveniently situated for the 

 purpose required, and forming part of the glebe. This field 

 I dirided into forty-seven allotments ; which were distributed 

 by the drawing of lots among those whom I considered the 

 most deserving and the most in want, of those who had 

 signed the petition. My object in having recourse to the 

 method of drawing lots for the distribution of the gardens 

 was to prevent any discontent which might arise from some 

 portions of the field being deemed better than others. The 

 price of each allotment was fixed at 12s. Gd. — the landlord 

 paying all rates and taxes due upon it, and the tenants 

 keeping the hedges and ditches in a proper state of repair. 

 A few short and simple rules were printed and given to 

 each tenant. I do not transcribe the rules, as they are, for 

 the most part, the same as those laid down in similar 

 instances. One deviation, however, from that similarity 

 may be mentioned : no condition is made that holders of 

 gardens should be regular church-attendants — my motive in 

 omitting that usual condition being that, as many of them 

 had been brought up in the principles of dissent from the 

 Church. I did not wish it to be supposed that a premium 

 was held out to them for the performance of a duty, which 

 by other and better means I hoped in time to make them 

 fulfil. Experience has not caused me to regret the absence 

 of such a regulation. Indeed, on the subject of rales in 

 general in connexion with allotments, I would remark that 

 it is my belief, that the less stringent and the less numerous 

 they are, the more efficient as well as the more acceptable 

 they will be found. For their own sakes the tenants will 

 nearly always cultivate the gardens in a proper manner; 

 and, after all, good crops are the best tests of good cultiva- 

 tion. 



It may farther be stated that the allotments are at the 

 present time occupied by thirty-four agricultural laboorers, 

 four shoemakers, two blacksmiths, two carpenters, two brick- 

 layers, two machinists (workers of steam threshing-machines), 

 and one small shopkeeper. 



The result of ten years' experience of the working of the 

 system may now briefly be detailed. I shall begin by ob- 

 serving that though the payment of rent is required but 

 once a-year — about three or four weeks after harvest (Sep- 

 tember 2oth), a time when nearly ail the crops have been 

 removed from the field — I have almost invariably received 

 the whole rent on the day appointed, and in no case have I 

 ever lost any portion of it. I have, indeed, frequently 

 encouraged the deserving and assisted those in need by 

 returning to them a smaU part of the payment; in one case 

 only have I remitted the whole, and that was one of great 

 necessity ; but every remission of rent has been granted of 

 my own accord and without any solicitation from the tenants. 

 Last year, with these deductions, the receipts for the forty- 

 seven gardens were .£27 14s. 6d., instead of ,£29 7s. 6(J., the 

 fuU amount. In the year 1857, a year in which there had 

 been some tlistress among the agricultural labourers, it was 

 X26 7s. 6(J., the smallest annual payment since the establish- 

 ment of these g.arden3. But it must be added that the rent 

 previously paid by the farmer who had occupied the field 

 before its division into cottage gardens, was only .£15 ; or, 

 taking into consideration that he paid the rates and taxes 

 upon it, about d£17. 



The cidtivation of the garden has, on the whole, been 

 very satisfactory ; it may even safely be asserted that the 

 produce of the field is more than double what it was when 

 it formed part of a somewhat large farm. The profit made 

 upon each garden varies of course with the degree of culti- 

 vation, and is in every case difficult of estimation ; but 

 that a fair profit is made is evident from the circumstance 

 that only two gardens have as yet been voluntarily given 

 up, while there are ten or twelve applicants for the first 

 vacancy which may occur. 



The best result of the system has apparently been the 

 habits of economy which it has tended to create. Money, 

 which too often before found its way to the ale-house, is 

 now expended in the purchase of a pig or in seed and 

 manure — more manure being generally required for each 

 garden than can be produced in the pigsty. I may hero 



